The 1990 Donruss baseball card set is considered one of the most error-prone print runs in the history of the card manufacturing industry. With poorly cut sheets, misaligned images, and glaring production mistakes throughout, the 1990 Donruss set launched some of the most valuable error cards collectors have ever seen. Here we examine the rarest and most expensive mistakes made during the creation of this infamous release.
Perhaps the crown jewel of 1990 Donruss errors is the ultra-rare Ken Griffey Jr. Missing Back variation. Only a small handful are known to exist, with the last verified sale reaching over $175,000. In this error, Griffey’s card is missing the entire back of the card, instead just being blank white cardboard. How this egregious production defect slipped through quality control is baffling, but it makes this one of the most significant errors in the hobby.
Another exceedingly rare and expensive error is the Odd-Position Randy Johnson card. On this mistake, Johnson’s image is severely miscut and shifted to the right side of the card front. His face is absent and only the left side of his Toronto Blue Jays uniform is visible. His statline and info are missing from the back entirely. Only three of these have been confirmed, with one selling for just under $100,000 at auction.
The 1990 Uecker “360 Man” error may just rank as the craziest production mistake from the set. On Bob Uecker’s standard issue card, he is pictured in a Brewers uniform from his playing days. On the extremely rare error version, an unidentified African American man is depicted wearing glasses and what seems to be religious robes. Naturally, this image has no relation to Uecker at all. After much debate, the consensus is the photo must have been from an unrelated printed material that somehow got haphazardly placed on Uecker’s card during production. Considered one of one, it sold in 2019 for $82,000.
Among the most visually spectacular flaws from 1990 Donruss is the Billy Ripken “F*** Face” error that mistakenly featured the infamous vulgarity on his bat. While common in the standard red-backs variation, the blue-back misprint showing the expletive is hugely rare. Only a small number are known to be in circulation. One that sold a few years back fetched $26,500 due to its visual intrigue and controversial nature. It remains one of the set’s most identifiable mistakes.
Mistakes with missing player names were also a recurring problem in 1990 Donruss. A notable example is the Jose Canseco blank nameplate variation that lacked any text identifying the slugger. These printings are scarce and hold significant appeal to error collectors. One recently traded hands for $18,750 given its rarity and impactful missing element.
Miscut cards were a trademark of this release as well. Examples like the Strange-Masked Nolan Ryan portraying his entire image about 1/3 too far to the left rank among the most visually displeasing yet rare anomalies. The warped Rickey Henderson listing his position as “N/A” also falls into this category of badly cut cards. Unique specimens like these in pristine condition can reach five figures.
Occasionally errors would occur that saw a player’s photo or stats swapped between two different cards entirely. A spectacular example is the George Brett/Wade Boggs Stat & Photo Swap mistake. On these card fronts, Brett is pictured but his stats belong to Boggs, and vice versa. Only a handful are reported to exist in the collecting community. The last known trade was just over $11,000 for one.
Perhaps the craziest mistake imaginable involves a card apparently bearing no baseball player whatsoever. The enigmatic “Little Boy?” error picture seems to depict a headshot of a young child of around five years old against an indistinguishable green backdrop. No information is provided on the back either. Its origins have puzzled experts for decades with some questioning if it’s even a genuine error or a hoax. For this very reason, along with its unfathomable subject matter compared to a baseball card set, a PSA-graded example was still able to sell for an astounding $8,900 back in 2017.
With mismatched photos, bent corners, missing signatures, reversed fronts/backs, and many other production flaws interspersed throughout 1990 Donruss, it’s easy to understand how many errors slipped into circulation undetected for years. Some believe the rushed nature of Donruss printing may have contributed to the myriad defects. Regardless of cause, these mistakes have become some of the most iconic and valuable collectibles in the hobby due to their shock value and extreme rarity compared to standard issue cards. For error card connoisseurs and vintage baseball fans alike, the bloopers of 1990 Donruss continue to fascinate.
While unwanted at the time of its original release, the mistaken cards from the 1990 Donruss baseball set have gained appreciable renown and value over the decades. Through miscuts, misprinted photos, and other production defects both subtle and outrageous, unexpected variations entered the marketplace. These anomalies have become highly sought after novelties for specialists and investors prizing extreme scarcity in the memorabilia realm. As one of the largest error card goldmines ever, this infamous release still reveals new surprises today and ensures its place as a legendary part of sports collecting history.
